annettespence
Zimbabwe counselors
Tafadzwa Makwerere (left) and Raymond Makuwaza recently returned to their home in Zimababwe after serving as Camp in the Community staff for 10 weeks. (Photos by Camp in the Community)
Holston Annual Conference | August 20, 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – At first, Tafadzwa Makwerere says it is impossible to pick the best day of his summer.
“That’s like asking, ‘Who is your favorite brother?’” says Makwerere, the oldest of seven brothers in his home in Mutare, Zimbabwe.
Moments later, the camp counselor is talking up a storm about highlights from 10 weeks on staff with Camp in the Community. When he returns to Zimbabwe, Makwerere will carry a treasure trove of memories that include worshiping in the rain with 50 children as well as sampling his first plate of biscuits and gravy.
Makwerere, age 20, and Raymond Makuwaza, age 40, recently participated in a summer season of counselors working with 1,171 children in 24 locations throughout Holston Conference. Visiting the United States for the first time, the two Zimbabweans were among 34 total staff serving with Camp in the Community, a United Methodist day camp for children who wouldn't otherwise get a camp experience.
“It was too short, too short,” said Makuwaza. “I couldn’t believe it was 10 weeks already.”
Makwerere recalled a week at Robert Sheffey Camp Meeting grounds in Trigg, Virginia, where it rained hard every morning. The kids didn’t let that stop them from singing “Pharoah, Pharoah” at the top of their lungs or playing games in the downpour.
“The children there were so open, so amazing, smiling all the time,” Makwerere said. “I received a lot of love that week.”
He also described a moment when a girl started crying during morning worship at Alexander Memorial United Methodist Church in Bishop, Virginia. The girl said, “I need to see the pastor,” Makwerere recalled. Another counselor led the girl to the Rev. Daniel Bradley, and they prayed with her.
“It was a magical moment, and she committed her life to Jesus Christ,” Makwerere said. “She came away smiling, and I said, ‘Are you OK?’ and she said, ‘I’m good.’”
Camp Counselors
The Rev. Sam Dzobo (above, left) visits with Tafadzwa Makwerere (center) and Raymond Makuwaza at Dzobo's home in Knoxville, Tenn. (Holston Conference Photo by Annette Spence)
Makuwaza shared how he liked working with staff members from other countries and different parts of the U.S. (According to Camp in the Community Director Whitney Winston, 30% of this summer’s staff were international, representing 10 nations.) Makuwaza befriended counselors from Spain, Jamaica, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Arizona, New York and Tennessee.
“I didn’t know there was a country called Dominican Republic,” said Makuwaza, who in addition to Zimbabwe, has lived in Japan for four years to complete a theology degree at Tokyo Christian University.
The diversity of camp staff was akin to how the body of Christ is made up of many parts, and how God uses diversity to create a beautiful world, he said.
“God created a lot of different things – our moon, the stars, the planets – just to make the sky beautiful,” Makuwaza said.
The campers also learned a lot from having leaders from different places. “Most children are curious, but not all have the courage to ask questions,” said Makwerere. The two men from Zimbabwe were sometimes amused by questions that did come their way, such as, “Do you go hunting?” “What kind of snakes do you have?” or “What kind of house do you live in?”
Makwerere teased one camper by answering, “I live in a house with a floor, a ceiling, and a door.” He then explained, after further questioning, that his home in Zimbabwe is not made of “mud and poles” but is similar to some U.S. homes.
In their free time, camp staff enjoyed a boat cruise in Kingsport, the sunset at Camp Lookout, a street festival in Maryville, hiking at Cloudland Canyon State Park, Dollywood, karaoke, an arcade, silent disco and basketball, according to Makuwaza.
A highlight for Makwerere was staying at the home of the Rev. Kim Goddard and the Rev. Jim Goddard, where he experienced blueberry cobbler and “bread covered in sauce,” later to be identified as biscuits and gravy.
Of the 24 local churches and other ministry sites where Camp in the Community offered a week of Christian camp activities (designed to meet children’s physical, emotional, relational, educational, and nutritional needs), the counselors from Zimbabwe served at the following locations:
Makwerere: Alexander Memorial UMC, Bishop, VA; Robert Sheffey Camp Meeting, Trigg, VA; Camp Ahistadi, Laurel Bloomery, TN; Norris UMC, Norris, TN; Keith Memorial UMC, Athens, TN; Niota UMC, Niota, TN; and Holston Annual Conference, Lake Junaluska, NC.
Makuwaza: Middlebrook Pike UMC, Knoxville, TN; First UMC, Oneida, TN; Jones Memorial UMC, Chattanooga, TN; Washington Pike UMC, Knoxville, TN; Dublin UMC, Dublin, VA; and Lennon-Seney UMC, Knoxville, TN.
The two counselors said they learned about Camp in the Community from Dzobo, a native of Zimbabwe who has served as a pastor in Holston Conference since 2008. Currently, Dzobo is appointed as pastor of Lennon-Seney United Methodist Church and associate district superintendent of the Tennessee Valley and Smoky Mountain Districts.
Through Winston, Dzobo learned of Camp in the Community’s need for camp counselors in fall 2023. He suggested Makuwaza and Makwerere from his hometown. They applied and underwent Winston’s interviewing process.
In addition to working as a sign language interpreter and caretaker for the elderly, Makuwaza has served for the past 20 years as children’s church leader at Hilltop United Methodist Church in Mutare, where Dzobo previously served as pastor.
Makwerere is a member at St. Johns United Methodist Church in Mutare. He is enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe.
Both Makwerere and Makuwaza work with Holston Conference mission teams who go to Hilltop UMC each year to host Vacation Bible School for thousands of children in late summer. The mission trip is timed to coincide when Hands-on Mission Project supplies, collected by Holston churches each spring, finally arrive in Zimbabwe.
Makuwaza and Makwerere flew back to Zimbabwe on August 7.
(Holston Conference includes United Methodist churches in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and North Georgia, with main offices in Alcoa, Tennessee. Sign up for a free email subscription to The Call.)
Annette Spence is editor of The Call, the Holston Conference newsletter.